Improvement in machine for picking cranberries



. @ltnirll giada 13m-w1 @ittica JOSHUA P. PRIOKETT, 0E MEDEoRD, NEW JERSEY, AssreNoE To HIM- sELE: AND JOSEPH o. HIucHMAN, or SAME PLAGE.

Letters Patent No. 101,040, dated March 22, 1870.

IMPROVEMENT IN MACHINE FOR PICKNG- CRANBERRIES.

The Schedule referred to, in these Letters Patent and making part of the same.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, JOSHUA 1. P1nc1 nrr, of

'j Medford, in the county of Burlington and State of New Jersey, have invented a newl and useful 1mprovenient in Machines'fcr Picking Cranberries; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact .description thereof, which will enable 'others skilled in the art to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification.

This invention relates to a new and useful improvement in a machine for picking or gathering cranberries, whereby that slow and tedious operation (usually performed by hand) is performed by machinery, and in the most expeditious manner; and v 1t consists inthe construction andarrrangement of parts operating as hereinafter described.-

' In-the accompanying drawings- Figure l represents a vertical section of the machine through the line x x of fig. 2.

Figure 2 is a plan View, partly in section, as through the' lines y y and f: z of tig. 3.

Figure 3 is a front view.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts.

This machine is mounted on two wheels, from the revolving axle of which the operating parts of the machine are driven. Y

A is the frame-work, which is mainly supported by the said axle, but the rearv portion ot' which is supported by a single bearing-wheel B.

C- G represents the main driving-wheels.

D is the axle. These wheels are loose on 'the axle,

so that they revolve ou a retrograde motion without lrevolving theaxle. y

On each end of the Aaxle (within the bearings) there is a ratchet-wheel, E, and on each wheel there is a pawl, F,`so adjusted that 4the pawls engage with the ratchet when the machine is moving torward, and thereby revolve the axle. On the back motion the pawls slip over the ratchet-teeth, and the wheels revolve freely ont-he axle.v

On the middle of the axle D there-is a band-wheel, G, rmly fastened, which revolves with the axle. A band, J, from this wheel operates the pickers. Supported on the forward portion of the horizontal frame A is an upright frame, H, at the base of which is a horizontal shaft, I, whichis revolved by the band J, from the bandwheel G. The journals of this short shaft I pass through the sides of the upright frame H, and each journal is provided with a crank,` K, and with a spiral spring above.

L L represent the pickers, which are two in number, each composed of two heads, M, (with curved wire teeth) placed on the ends of bars N andO. On

the bars N there are slotted arms P. The wristfpins of the cranks K work in these slotted arms, as seen ill titel.

The bars N O of the pickers L L are jointed together like a tongs at q. The outer sides of the uprights of the frame H are grooved, and on the inner sides of the picker-bars N there 1 are pivots R, with friction rolls, which work in the grooves, and these` bars have a vertical motion corresponding with the throw or stroke of the cranks, while the pivots R allow the lower ends ot' those bars N to swing laterally a distance corresponding with the stroke of the cranks. S represents straps ot' brass or other suitable .metal which hang from the cap-piece T of the frame H, having friction rolls uy on their lower ends.

Ou the side of each of the picker-bars Q there is a cam, V, seen in iig. 1. The barsN O being connected together bythe pins q, are of course raised and lowered together by the cranks K.

' Th e' pickers are raised and lowered alternately. Tliej7 are opened byoperating upon the, ;p i0ker-bar` O, by means fot the cam V, as they are raised, 'so that they grasp a quantity of berries as they are lowered at each stroke.

, When th picker in deseendin g has been opened sui'- ciently wide, the bar Q is held in position by means of the drop-catch or arm e, and the cam vis relieved, fwhich catch rests on the wire (l.

e is an arm of a V- shaped piece or level', which is pivoted at its angle to the inner side of the bar N. The other arm c' (fig. 3) is curved at the end. Vhen the picker is at its lowestpoint the curved end of the arm exstrikes the crank or 'end of the crankshaft, which throws up the arm e, whereby the wire leaves the catch, and the jaws of 'the picker instantly close.

The continued revolution-of the cranks throw the pickers inward and upward, so that when they are carried over or nearly over the' trough y, the cam V is lsroug'ht in contact with the roller u, which opens the jaws, and thc berries are deposited in the trough y.

After t/he berries are discharged the pickers continue to rise, and thcbar O continues to be operated upon until the jaws are again wide open, when the Y catch again drops over the wire d, and holds them open until the grasp is made. This carries the wire (l below the catch, and the jaws close by means of the spring a, which bears upon the wire.l This operation is performed by each lpicker for each revolution of' the 4 the berries are swept back by the revolving wings I, through the inclined and circular channels m m, into the receptacles n u at the rear end of the machine. The bottoms of the channels m 0n are formed oi' longitudinal rods, :1s-seen in iig. 2, so that any sand or dirt which may be taken up by the pickers with the berries may be screened out before the berries are deposited in the boxes -n n. These boxes are provided with hinged doors, so that the berries may be readily removed therefrom. The machine is moved over the ground in any manner which maybe found most convenient. lThe motion of the pickers is so adjusted that the ent-ire ground is operated upon and all the berries stripped from the vines, thus greatly facilitatingthe operation of gatbering'the cranberry crop.

These machines may be made of any desired size and of any suitable material.

Having thus ldescribed my invention,

screening the berries, in combination with the flexible wing lfor moving the berries, substantially as shown and described.-

The above specification of my invention signed by me this 16th day of October, 1869. v

JOSHUA I. PRIGKETT.

Witnesses:

GEO. W. MABEF., ALEX. F. ROBERTS.

3. The channels man, with grated bottoms for1 

